2012 Mini + 2 Cinema Displays?

[GizmoDVD]

Is this possible? I'm toying around with dumping my 24" iMac and replacing it with a 23" Cinema Display (along with a second display, my 20" Cinema Display, both aluminum). My 24" is fast...but having USB 3 and Thunderbolt seems like a pretty good reason to upgrade. I really like the matte Cinema Displays so I'm hoping it will work...somehow. Not really keen on Thunderbolt Displays.

 

[albert1028]

Is this possible? I'm toying around with dumping my 24" iMac and replacing it with a 23" Cinema Display (along with a second display, my 20" Cinema Display, both aluminum). My 24" is fast...but having USB 3 and Thunderbolt seems like a pretty good reason to upgrade. I really like the matte Cinema Displays so I'm hoping it will work...somehow. Not really keen on Thunderbolt Displays.

Will not work well at all since one video out is Hdmi. There are some companies that make converters that are of the active type vs passive adapters. But they are all garbage.

Why couldn't they have built the Mac mini with dual thunderbolt.

 

[ray648]

That will work fine. The hdmi port has a maximum resolution of 1920x1200 (the resolution of the 23" cinema display). Therefore the mini will run up to two of the old cinema displays at either 20" or 23". Use an hdmi to dvi adapter, which I believe is included with the mini, and plug the other display into the thunderbolt bolt.

You only run into problems if you wanted to run the old 30" display which is only possible from the thunderbolt port, and requires an expensive adapter.

 

[GizmoDVD]

That will work fine. The hdmi port has a maximum resolution of 1920x1200 (the resolution of the 23" cinema display). Therefore the mini will run up to two of the old cinema displays at either 20" or 23". Use an hdmi to dvi adapter, which I believe is included with the mini, and plug the other display into the thunderbolt bolt.

You only run into problems if you wanted to run the old 30" display which is only possible from the thunderbolt port, and requires an expensive adapter.

Thanks.

I didn't know the 30" would be a problem. Is it because the resolution is higher?

 

[calvol]

I thought one could daisy-chain TB monitors, and thus would only need one TB port off of the Mini?

 

[paulrbeers]

I thought one could daisy-chain TB monitors, and thus would only need one TB port off of the Mini?

One could, but the OP is asking about older Cinema Displays which would not be daisy chain-able (is chain-able a word?)

 

[ray648]

Thanks.

I didn't know the 30" would be a problem. Is it because the resolution is higher?

The hdmi port can not run the 30" at native resolution at all. The best you can do with the hdmi port is run the 23".

The thunderbolt port can run the 30", however the displayport signal has to be converted to dual link dvi, which requires an active adapter. Apple sell these, but they aren't cheap, and I remember people having issues with them when they were first released. Don't know if the issues were resolved or if people just stopped posting about them. Best bet if you want an apple display with a higher resolution that the 23", is to buy either the thunderbolt display or the 27" cinema display. Since you have thunderbolt, theres very little reason to by the cinema display unless you want to be able to hook it up to something without thunderbolt in the future.